The ExLover in the Diner
by DaLiza
Summary: Booth overhears a conversation about Brennan that will change their partnership forever. Two shot.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Some profanity in this one (sorry, Mom).**

**Thanks as always to my awesome readers and my brilliant beta, CalleighAryn!**

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Seeley Booth had never eavesdropped on someone else's conversation while eating alone at the diner; usually he was too busy thinking about the case at hand or the pie in front of him to even notice the other diners. But the day he heard a man sitting at the table behind him ask his companion if he was still "dating that anthropologist from the Jeffersonian"--well, Booth had no choice but to clear his mind of all other thoughts and listen.

"Not anymore," was the dejected reply.

"She dumped you, huh?"

_Don't take it personally; Bones has a hard time with relationships.__You would too if your family abandoned you as a teenager. It's a shame her dad is old and on his best behavior because sometimes I really want to kick his ass for that._

"No, I dumped her."

_You dumped Bones?! You've got to be an idiot to let her go…like Sully was. Who names a boat after someone and then sails away without them? But maybe you're not even talking about Bones. She isn't the only female anthropologist at the Jeffersonian…and there are all those squints-in-training running amok…._

"Why?" The Idiot's friend asked, sounding incredulous. "She was HOT!"

_Bones is hot. No, not hot. Beautiful. Even when she's wading through the most disgusting stuff I've ever seen to get to her bones, she's still the most beautiful woman I've ever known._

"Very hot, but a little weird. Like on our first date, when I took her to this nice Italian restaurant and then we saw 'Twilight', she--"

_Wow, dinner and a movie. How creative of you._

"Is that the one with the high school girl who falls in love with the spiky-haired vampire who doesn't kill people?" His friend interrupted.

_A spiky-haired vampire who doesn't kill people? Sounds ridiculous! Everyone knows that vampires are merciless, bloodsucking creatures of the night. They don't fall in love with high school girls and they never, ever buy hair gel._

"…That's the one. I picked it because I heard that women thought it was romantic. But _she_ didn't think so…."

_Bones isn't like most women. That doesn't make her 'weird', it makes her special._

"…The whole ride home she kept talking about how absurd it is that people actually believe in vampires because no organism can live forever, but even if it were possible, it would be unethical to prolong your own survival by feeding on the blood of another, and blah, blah, blah…"

Booth laughed to himself_. No doubt about it now--you're definitely talking about my partner._

"…She was always going on and on about all this science and nature stuff--I wasn't even sure what she was saying half the time-- but whenever I tried to have a conversation with her about anything normal, she was completely clueless. It was like she was living under a rock or something."

_Not under a rock, in a lab. So she doesn't know what's on television, or which celebrities are dating each other, or what the latest slang is--does any of that crap really matter? She can tell how a person lived and died just by looking at their bones AND use that knowledge to catch a killer. Can YOU do that, jackass?_

"So you dumped her because she was too smart for you," The Idiot's friend said in a teasing tone.

_What a loser. Clearly you didn't deserve to date her in the first place._

"No, that wasn't why!" The Idiot sounded defensive. "I was willing to overlook her quirks because she had some good qualities…very good qualities…," he added suggestively.

_You start talking about my partner as if she's just a sex object and I may have to shoot you. It wouldn't be the first time I'd shot a clown._

"…But it became obvious that I wasn't the only man in her life."

_So you weren't enough for her, huh? Shocker!_

"So you caught her with someone," the friend surmised, sounding sympathetic. "When I was in college, I walked in on my girlfriend and my roommate…on MY bed. I had the bottom bunk, and apparently the lovebirds couldn't be bothered to climb the ladder…"

_Ouch. _

"….and she wasn't even sorry about it. She said that the two of them bonded because she spent so much time in the room waiting around for me…like it was my fault the fucking bitch cheated!"

_Hey, watch your language--there could be kids in here! _Booth looked around the diner. _Okay, there aren't, but there might have been._

"That sucks," The Idiot said, "but I never actually caught her in bed with someone."

"Oh." His friend sounded disappointed that he had told an embarrassing story for nothing. "So what happened then?"

_Yeah, what happened? How did you know there was another man in her life? Who was it?_

"Well, she liked role-playing…you know, in bed…"

_Right. She told me that when we were doing the crazy horse fetish case. Those people were sick._

"…She wanted to do scenes from her books. She would be her anthropologist character--which I guess isn't really role-playing, considering she _is_ an anthropologist-- and I would be her brave, handsome FBI agent partner…"

_Whoa, you were role-playing as Kathy and Andy…who are obviously based on Bones and me? That's just WRONG!_

"…This one time we pretended we had just caught this evil murderer and put him behind bars, so we were getting it on in the back of a police car…"

_Not that scene! That's one of my favorites. If I read it right before I go to bed, I have the most wonderful dreams._

"…and everything was going great…really great…she was unbelievably amazing…"

_That's so unfair. I can't be with another woman without feeling like I'm betraying Bones, but she has no problem playing her little games with any guy she wants._

"…but when she climaxed she said 'Booth'."

_WHAT?! She said my name? Holy shit, Bones thinks of me during sex! Does that mean that she wants me as much as I-- wait a minute, let's not get carried away here. This guy was pretending to be Andy, and Andy is based on me, so it could have been just a slip of the tongue._

"Booth?" His friend repeated. "As in a table in a restaurant?"

_Or as in a __**real life **__FBI agent._

The Idiot laughed. "Yeah, but I really doubt she was screaming about a restaurant booth…"

_**Screaming**__?! I've fantasized…once or twice…about her screaming "Booth" or "Seeley" or "Oh God, Seeley Booth, you're the best lover I've ever had", but I didn't think it could really happen!_

"…She wouldn't say anything about it, but 'Booth' has to be a guy's name…"

_Excellent detective work there, Sherlock._

"…I've called out my ex's name in bed before, so I let it slide the first time…but it happened THREE more times. I even heard her say it in her sleep."

_Three more times? That's not a slip of the tongue, that's a pattern. And she said my name in her sleep too! She must be dreaming about me just like I dream about her. Bones wants me! There were times I thought I saw desire in her eyes, but I'd convinced myself that I was imagining it; I couldn't believe that she'd really want someone like me. But we're still partners and there's a line and--oh, fuck the line. BONES WANTS ME!_

"So let me get this straight--you dumped a hot chick who, in your own words, was 'unbelievably amazing' in bed, just because she wasn't screaming **your** name in ecstasy?" His friend laughed. "You're an idiot! Call her up and say you're sorry and you miss her and you want to give it another try. If you keep at her, you might be able to steal her away from this Booth guy someday."

"NO!" Booth shouted.

"Excuse me?" The Idiot said.

_I guess I said that out loud. __Well, now that they know I've been listening to them, I may as well go over there. _When Booth stood up and walked to the table behind him, he saw two attractive, well dressed men in their thirties. One of them bore a slight resemblance to himself. _She even picked someone who almost looks like me! _"Sorry, guys, I…uh… couldn't help overhearing some of your conversation. I didn't mean to intrude, but since I already have, I'm going to suggest that you"--he addressed the man who looked like him--"don't call your ex-girlfriend. Life is too short to be in a relationship with someone who doesn't want you. You might have some fun times together, but it's nothing compared to a true partnership…to a true **love**."

Both men were slightly unnerved by the intensity in Booth's eyes and voice. "I suppose you've found your true love then?" The Idiot said with a nervous chuckle.

Booth grinned as his mind conjured up memories of Brennan holding his hand while they ice skated, telling him he was made of good stuff…her dancing to "Hot Blooded" …singing "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"...fixing his back…embracing him after his fight in Vegas…saving him from the Gravedigger…kissing him on the cheek…kissing him on the lips under the mistletoe. "Yes, I have." He turned away from the men and headed for the door. _And I'm going to go kiss her right now._

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**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated****.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I really hadn't planned on continuing this story, but so many of you asked so nicely for a second chapter. Hope you enjoy this one just as much! **

**Thanks as always to my thoughtful beta CalleighAryn.**

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"I kissed a girl and I liked it…"

_Ha. Funny that that song would come on the radio as I'm driving to Bones' apartment._

_I'll be knocking on her door soon. She'll probably be surprised to see me on a Sunday morning, so she'll ask what I'm doing there. I'll take her in my arms and kiss those oh so soft lips and it'll be as magical as that time under the mistletoe, but this time we won't be in the lab and we won't have an audience so we won't have to worry about appearances and I can take my time showing her just how much I've been wanting and needing her all these years and--_

_Whoa! Pants getting tight. Much too tight. Gotta calm down. I can't show up at Bones' apartment with a bulge in my pants and then kiss her! She'll think that I'm there just to "fulfill my biological urges". No, she needs to know that what I feel for her goes way beyond biology._

_I have to tell her I love her. _

_Yes._

_But how?_

_I'll tell her that I need to talk to her and we'll sit on her couch. I'll say that over the years she's become more than a friend and partner to me and I've never felt this way about anyone else…_

_No, too cheesy. True, but cheesy._

_I'll say that having her by my side makes the worst days bearable and the best days even better and I can't imagine living without her and I want to be with her for the rest of my--_

_No, too much too soon. That could scare her away. _

_Maybe I can try speaking her language. I'll say that anthropologically speaking, we're a good match because we both have…you know… symmetrical features and we complement each other's strengths and…and…damn, I've run out of squintspeak._

_Maybe I can try to explain how important she is to me: how I miss her when she's not around…how I dream about her every night…how I would give my life for her…how I'd kill anyone who dared to hurt--_

_I probably shouldn't mention killing in a declaration of love. _

_How about: "I love you, Bones, and I always will"?_

_But what if she argues that she doesn't believe in love? And why should she when so many who have claimed to love her have left…_

_I'm less than a minute away from her apartment--I have to decide on something! It's not enough time. Maybe I should go to my place and think about it some more. I'll wait until I've got the perfect words and then--_

_No! I've already waited four fucking years. How much longer am I going to sit by and watch her date these idiots who are only interested in her body? How much longer can I pretend that I think of her as nothing more than a work partner?_

_No more._

_I'm here now and I'm going to tell her. _

_God, I'm sweating like a teenager!_

_Just relax…it's only the most important conversation of your life._

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"Good morning, Bones!" Booth said with forced casualness when Brennan opened her front door.

"Good morning." She stared at him for a few seconds, studying his countenance. "Is something wrong?"

"No! Nothing's wrong. Why would you think that something's wrong?" _Whoa, did my voice just crack? Pull it together! You're not thirteen years old anymore; you can talk to a woman without panicking. _

"Because it's unusual for you to come to my apartment on a Sunday morning and you appear to be agitated."

"I'm fine." _No, I'm not. I can't remember the last time I was this nervous about anything. _"Can I come in?"

She hesitated for a moment, then stepped back to allow him entrance and close the door behind him.

He turned to her. "So…uh…can we talk?" _Great start, Seeley. You're really earning your 'Cocky' belt buckle now._

"We are taking," Brennan answered with a slight smile.

Booth laughed. _That's my girl. _"On the couch. Let's talk on the couch." She sat down and he sat beside her. _Take a deep breath. You can do this. _"Bones…I've… really enjoyed working with you over the past four years. You're the best partner I've ever had, but--"

"But you don't want to work with me anymore?"

_I've never heard her sound so hurt! _"No, no, of course I want to work with you! I was saying that, while you're the best partner I've ever had, you're more than--"

"Temperance?"

Booth's jaw dropped as a tall, brown haired, muscular man wearing nothing but blue boxer shorts emerged from Brennan's bedroom. _Perfect. Just perfect. I finally get the courage to tell Bones how I feel about her and she has company. Almost naked company. _

"Can you hold on for a few minutes?" Brennan asked her partner.

_I've waited four years--what's a few more minutes? Go ahead and say goodbye to your almost naked friend. _"Sure."

Brennan stood up and walked toward her barely clothed guest. "Rick! You're finally awake."

"Yeah, I woke up because I heard you talking to someone." He glanced at Booth, then gave Brennan a sly smile. "How about you lose your friend and we give it another go?"

_How about NO? _

Rick moved in for a kiss, but Brennan stepped back. "I can't. I have a lot of work to do today."

_Ha! Bye Rick!_

"But it's Sunday!"

_That won't matter to Bones. Obviously you don't know her very well._

"I'm well aware of what day it is. I have lab reports to finish and I need to send my editor a revised draft of my novel. I'd really appreciate it if you could get dressed and go home."

_You heard her, buddy. Goodbye now._

"That's it?" Rick fumed. "You got what you wanted so you don't need me anymore?" He closed the distance between them in one predatory step. "What if I don't want to go just yet?"

_Too bad! You're leaving. _Alpha male adrenalin surging through his body, Booth jumped off of the couch and quickly positioned himself between Rick and Brennan. "She asked you to leave. Either you respect her wishes or I arrest you for trespassing."

Rick's face paled. "You're a cop?"

Booth happily took out his badge. "FBI. Special Agent Seel--"

"He's my partner," Brennan interrupted with a note of panic in her voice. "We're just partners."

_But with any luck we'll be much more than that soon…if we can just finish our conversation without any more almost naked interruptions…_

"Just partners?" Rick repeated skeptically as he noticed Brennan's reddening cheeks. "Then why are you blushing?" He paused for a moment, then laughed as the thought hit him. He turned back to Booth. "Your last name isn't Booth, is it?"

_So you've heard of me. _"What if it is?"

Brennan grabbed Rick's arm, forcibly escorting him to her door. "OUT. NOW." Booth followed them in case she needed back-up.

"What's wrong, Temperance?" Rick smirked. "Are you afraid I'm going to tell your 'just partner' that you scream his name when you're getting fu--?" The rest of Rick's sentence was lost when Brennan kneed him in the groin.

Booth involuntarily winced. _Ouch. That had to hurt._

"Okay, I probably deserved that," Rick gasped, doubling over in pain. "I'm really sorry. Can I…make it up to you sometime?"

_Please say no._

"NO," Brennan said as she opened her front door, pushed Rick into the hall, and slammed the door in his face.

_Yes! Nicely done, Bones! _

"What about my clothes?" Rick whined from the hallway.

"I'll get them, Bones," Booth offered. He retrieved a shirt, pants, socks and shoes from Brennan's bedroom and threw them into the hallway. When he turned back to his partner, he saw that she had returned to her spot on the couch. He sat down beside her once again. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she answered automatically. "I wasn't the one who received a sharp blow to the testicles."

Booth laughed. "Remind me not to get on your bad side, Bones. Where did you meet that loser anyway?"

"Blues Alley. He seemed much nicer last night."

_They always do. _"You picked up a guy in an **alley**?"

"No, it's a jazz bar Angela dragged me to."

_That's even worse than an alley. _"So you're picking up guys in bars now?"

"Why not? I can't pick them up at _work_," Brennan snapped. "There are lines, remember?"

_Touché, Bones. _"You know, I've been thinking a lot about the line lately. At Quantico, they tell you that having a romantic relationship with your partner is a distraction, and distraction can be deadly in the field. But us _not_ having a relationship hasn't made our lives any safer. People are always shooting at us or abducting us or burying us in small spaces…and I seem to get blown up a lot more than the average person. Staying behind the line was at least supposed to keep my heart safe, but all it's done is make me miserable."

"You're miserable?"

"I do enjoy working with you, Bones; I wasn't lying about that. But some days having you so close but not close enough is torture."

Brennan frowned. "So working with me is like torture?"

"No!" _Okay, this is going really badly. I need to stop talking in metaphors and just spell it out. _"Bones, what I'm trying to say is that I don't want a line between us anymore because I'm in love with you."

"You **love** me?" Her eyes widened. "But I'm not your physical type."

"What type is that?"

"Blondes. Both Tessa and Rebecca had blond hair…and that stripper who you found so arousing was also blond."

_You arouse me much more than she did. _"I'm not only interested in blondes. I dated Cam, remember?" _Idiot! This is hardly the time to remind her that I used to sleep with her boss._

Booth saw the briefest flicker of sadness register in her eyes. "I remember. Your relationship with Cam made sense; the two of you share common interests and values. But you and I disagree on so many things and I don't understand your pop culture references and I don't share your religious beliefs and I'm socially awkward and--"

"And none of that matters. I still love you. I always have and I always will."

"You can't know that. People's feelings change all the time. Didn't you think you would always love Rebecca when you asked her to marry you?"

"I asked her to marry me because she was pregnant and it seemed like the right thing to do. But I didn't love her or any other woman as deeply as I love you."

Her eyes filled with tears. "And someday you could meet someone else who transcends all of your previous girlfriends, someone with whom you're more compatible…someone who can make you truly happy. You deserve that."

"**You** make me happy, Bones. I don't want someone 'more compatible'--I want you**. **Only you. But if you don't want me, just say so and I'll go." _And get my good scotch and drink until I lose consciousness._

She grabbed his hand. "Please don't go. Booth, you're the best man I've ever known and I find you extremely attractive. Of course I want you…I just can't see why you'd want me. I didn't think you ever would, so I've tried to form connections with other men, but none of them ever made me feel the way you do. I even started pretending that my lovers _were_ you, but…" She trailed off as her tears started falling.

_Oh Bones! I should have told her how I felt a long time ago. _He gently wiped away her tears. "You don't have to pretend anymore…neither of us do." In response she threw her arms around him and kissed him fiercely.

He didn't hesitate to wrap his own arms around her and return the kiss with equal passion. _Wow God Bones love you so much taste so good so amazing don't stop don't ever stop wow! I kissed my Bones and I liked it…_

Eventually she pulled back to face him, smiling broadly. "So the next time I scream 'Booth' in bed, you'll be right there with me."

He grinned as he leaned towards her for another kiss. "And I'll be screaming 'Bones' just as loud."

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**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. **


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